At Night
by NiftyRobot
Summary: Speedy is having horrific nightmares that Robin suspects might be linked to something much bigger. Rated T for language, violence, and scary stuff. Aqualad/Raven!
1. Chapter 1: The Dark

At Night

Chapter one: The Dark

There weren't many left. When all had gone dim, in an utter trance of twilight, most had panicked and fled. Only a few townspeople and the Elders were still stationed there. Billowy clouds of gray dust and Celestial Ash had swarmed in the skies and struck fear into the remaining. But the brave and the bold held their swords high, hoping to slay the beast hidden inside the shadows…

Speedy awoke with a jump and scream. He tried to breathe easy, but was so hard after God knows how many times. He pulled his knees up tight to his chest, and hung his head in a way so that his kneecaps slightly touched his eyelids. He was so sick of these dreams, these _nightmares _that crept up on him during the night. It was the same thing over and over.

The door slid open quietly, but Speedy already knew who it was.

"Another?"

Speedy sniffed, "Yeah. I swear if I keep having these, I'm gonna flat out be traumatized by the dark."

Aqualad stretched on arm across Speedy's back and sat next to him on the bed.

"It's going to be alright. It's just a nightmare."

"Doesn't feel like it…" Speedy murmured, leaning over so that his head rested between Aqualad's shoulder and chest. "It feels so real, and I hate it. It's like I'm _there, _it's so…so…"

"Relax." Aqualad pulled Speedy into a sort of one armed hug, only Speedy's arms were still locked around his legs. "I'm right here."

"He had another one."

"I'll be right there."

The air in the Titans East tower seemed too thin to Speedy. He also thought the windows were too big and the pools were too clear. Everything was too much, even the moon seemed too bright. The dim light cast tall shadows on the floor that made him shiver when he looked at them. He jumped a little when he saw a dark figure walking towards him.

"Dick's coming soon. Should I get Bee?"

"N-no, she'll try to give me Nyquil or something to make me sleep."

"Are you alright? You seem a lot tenser than any of the other times."

"I'm f-fine Garth, really. Just c-come sit down."

Aqualad hesitantly walked over to the dark couch and sat next to Speedy.

"You're shivering…Roy, are you hiding something from all of us?"

Speedy swallowed. Sure, he was hiding something. He's hidden something from everyone ever since he joined the Titans East.

"I…"

There was a faint pounding noise.

"That must be Dick. I'll be right back."

"You know, e-ever since he inst-stalled those turbo engines, he's been g-getting here a lot q-quicker."

"Wasn't that the point of the turbo engines?"

"…t-touché."

Aqualad walked off in the direction of the door. He soon walked back with their multi-colored friend, Robin. He had an annoyed look on his face, complete with untidy hair and a half-donned cape.

"I don't understand why you only have these at night. I mean, you sleep all the time in the day, but you only have nightmares at night?"

"Th-that's why it's c-called a NIGHT mare, sh-shortpants."

"Don't get smart with me, I'm pissed off already. And they cover my legs!"

"…didn't use to…"

"Ugh. Alright, what I'm going to do is make you fall asleep again. Then, Garth and I will watch you while you sleep-"

"Wawawawawait. Lemme get this straight; you two are gonna watch me s-sleep?"

"Well that's what I just said."

"…please proceed."

"…then we're going to wake you up as soon as we see signs of stress."

"And what good is that going to do?!"

"We won't have to hear your girly scream." Aqualad snickered.

"It's not girly. It's a 120% MANLY scream. And, I'll still see…you know…scary things."

"That's the thing. We'd like you to tell us what you see."

"I…I can't…"

"Why not?"

"B-because…they told me not to."

"Roy, who's 'they'?"


	2. Chapter 2: Wires

Hey guys! It's chappy two time, hope you like it! *I DOES NOT SPEAKS SPANISH. That generally means that I don't know how to write it either. So I'm sorry if it's not written right. Btw, the translations are at the end of this chapter. enjoi. :D

* * *

_The dark engulfed them, their hearts beating wildly. They heard a laugh much like a child's coming from everywhere. Red eyes watched them all. Every move they made, every breath they took, the red eyes bore holes through their armor and into their minds. The Ash felt like hot breath lingering above and around them. Each man's fears were driven to their fullest when a figure emerged above them, the owner of the blood-red eyes…_

"Speedy!"

"Ah…what…what happened?!"

"We barely got done asking you to lay down before you were out cold."

"Well gee, my sincerest apologies. Do you really think I can control when I sleep, Dick?"

"Well, _Roy_, most people can. We're going to have to monitor your brain waves back at the T-tower."

"We are at the T-tower."

"_MY _T-tower. Come on, it's getting late."

"I think you mean early, shortpants."

"Hola Robin ... ¿qué haces aquí tan tarde en la noche?"

"Oh shit…it's the twins…" Speedy whispered, rubbing his face with his hands. He turned to Aqualad, who turned to the twins, to Robin, and back at Speedy.

"Uh…they want to know what you're doing here, Robin."

"Tell them…wait, how old are they?"

"Like 12…why?"

"Because if I say 'playing doctor with Speedy'…"

"DO. NOT. TELL. THEM. THAT. DO NOT!" said Speedy through clenched teeth.

"Okay, okay."

"¿Estás jugando al doctor con Speedy?" Menos asked, yawning in the process.

Robin blinked and then looked at Aqualad, who laughed at the irony.

"Yeah, he is. We need to take Speedy over to Robin's Tower. Stay here and don't cause trouble."

"Oh, ¿podemos entrar? Queremos ver a Starfire!" Mas and Menos beamed.

"No, you can see her some other time. This is important. We'll be back later."

"Está bien ... pero lo que está mal con chico guapo?"

"You guys ask too many questions. Seriously. He's fine, WE'LL BE BACK LATER. GOOD BYE."

With that said Aqualad grabbed Speedy's wrist, yanked him off the couch, and stomped towards the door. Robin waved good bye to the twins who were still confused, and followed Aqualad out the door.

Back at the T-tower, Robin had placed Speedy in a chair with belted restraints and a helmet with wires attached.

"Dude, why do you have this thing? It looks like a-"

"Don't even."

"What? I was _going_ to say electric chair…"

Robin ignored Speedy's comment and started ferociously typing away at the computer's keyboard.

"Don't slap the keys like that. That'll ruin your keyboard."

Again, Robin ignored Speedy's comment. He pulled up a screen from the giant monitor that displayed little rising and dropping lines, each a different color; A red line for heart rate, a pink line for brain waves, an orange line for hunger, and a yellow line for annoyance. Although Speedy's hunger and annoyance meters were quite high, he managed to fall asleep when dawn broke.

"I wonder what's wrong with him…" Aqualad said from the couch.

"We'll just have to see. What do you think he meant by 'they told me not to'?" Robin was busy scribbling notes that looked like nonsense to Aqualad.

"Well it's obvious."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They told him not to."

"I mean _who _told him not to?"

"OH. Well that could be anyone. Probably those people. From that one movie."

"You mean he's been having nightmares for months because of some horror movie he watched?"

"Yes."

"And the people from that horror movie are in his dreams telling him not to tell us?"

"Yes."

"That's ridiculous."

"Oh I beg to differ. Once, my friend watched IT and had nightmares for weeks."

"Was your friend a pansy?"

"Uh…let's get back to whatever it was we were doing."

"Agreed."

_The laughter got louder and louder. The dark figure stood before them now. It looked like a young boy, but silhouetted in a dark gray, with his red eyes piercing the men's souls. His bright white smile sent chills down their spines. His ghastly grin showed two perfect rows of long, razor sharp teeth. He tilted his head at the armored men and asked, "Why so tense? Have you never seen a work of art? Shame, shame. You all deserve punishment."_

* * *

-Mas and Menos translations (in order)-

1. "Hi Robin...what are you doing here so late at night?"

2. "Are you playing doctor with Speedy?"

3. "Can we come? We want to see Starfire!"

4. "Okay...but what's wrong with pretty boy?"


	3. Chapter 3: Gushing

Hey guys, this chapter has some slight AquaRae. But please enjoi anyhow. :)

* * *

"His heart rate is going up."

"But his brain waves are normal."

"It's still going up…"

"We should wake him."

Speedy's jaw was clenched so tight the others thought his teeth might as well crack. His fists were clinging harshly to the arm rests on the chair. His breaths were short and forced, and his eyes were shut incredibly tight. Aqualad and Robin took off his helmet and all the wires attached to his forehead and arms. But Speedy's eyes did not open. Robin checked his watch. 5:15 AM. He looked out the window and saw the grayish pink of dawn, and looked back at Speedy. Speedy's eyes shot open, and he let out a loud, shuttered breath.

"Well that was weird." Aqualad mumbled.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

"You have to tell us!"

"I. CAN'T. TELL. YOU!"

"Why not?!"

"I DON'T KNOW! I JUST CAN'T TELL YOU!"

"Do NOT make me get Wonder Girl in here."

"…alright, I'll tell you…"

"Good boy. Now explain everything you saw to us."

"Alright…here goes…ahem. So first, I saw this little village. It was all sunny and warm-"

"That's a nightmare?"

"Shut it, Garth! I'm not to the scary part yet!"

Robin and Aqualad had so deviously tricked Speedy into telling them what he'd seen in his nightmares. They all took a seat upon the couch, Robin holding a note book, Aqualad eating a bag a chips from the kitchen, and Speedy was twiddling his thumbs.

"Anyway, the sky got dark and most of villagers ran away. Then these…knights came and held their swords up to this giant black cloud. Then the cloud practically engulfed them, and this…person…came out in front of th-" Speedy stopped talking, and started coughing.

"A-are you alright?"

"Y…yeah, I th-" He started coughing again, but more violently. He held his hand against his mouth, and when he pulled it away, a shiny red fluid covered his palm. It ran down his chin as his coughs became less controlled, and he clutched his stomach.

"Aqualad! I need you to go get Raven. She can help Speedy."

"M-me? Do I have to?" Aqualad felt his cheeks heating up a little. Though he had kept it a secret, he had a "thing_" _for Raven.

"Yes! Now go, the blood's getting all over his chest. This is so nasty…"

Aqualad darted down the hall to Raven's room. He slid past her door by accident, and nearly came face to face with the wall. He hesitantly knocked on her door, and blushed when the door slid open.

"Oh. I didn't know you were over." She looked at him with no emotion, as always. But her violet eyes shined in a way that made his stomach flutter.

"Uh…uh h-hello. Um…Speedy's bleeding out of his mouth, and we need you to heal him."

She blinked, and floated out the door past Aqualad. He sighed, and started walking behind her. They made their way silently to where Speedy was hunched over a trash can. Robin was holding him steady, and smiled when Raven and a still blushing Aqualad walked towards them.

"Glad you're here. Can you fix him?"

"His brain, his narcissistic attitude, or his little bleeding problem?" She asked monotonously.

"I'd laugh if I wasn't covered in another person's blood right now. Just stop the bleeding please!"

Raven nodded, and ushered Robin away from Speedy. She laid him down on the counter of the kitchen, propped his head up with a cookbook, and took a deep breath.

"Azarath…Metrion...Zinthos…" she whispered, laying her hand gently on Speedy's chest. Her eyes glowed white, and her hand glowed black. All the blood seemed to soak itself back through his clothes and into his body in a way that made Aqualad shudder and Robin say "That's disgusting…"

Speedy's mouth closed and his eyes opened. He sat up slowly and looked at Raven. She blinked, and floated back in the direction of her room. He turned his head towards Robin and Aqualad, who were still mildly disgusted by the earlier events.

"What happened to me?"

"Blood started gushing out your mouth and Raven just saved your ass." Aqualad said in a quick, jumbled manner.

"What he said." Robin shook his head.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Robin and Aqualad decided it was best that Speedy stayed at the T-Tower in case he started bleeding again. It was about 7:30 AM, and all three of them were on the couch. Robin and Speedy were racing on the Game Station 3 while Aqualad napped silently on the other side of the couch.

"Good morning, friends!" Starfire said happily as she floated into the living room. "Hello, friends Speedy and Aqualad!"

"SHHHH I'm winning!" Speedy yelled, and Aqualad's hand fell off the side of the couch.

"Oh…friend Robin?" She asked.

"Yeah, Star?" he answered half-mindedly.

"Will they be staying for breakfast?"

"They'll be staying for a while, trust me."

"Glorious!" she squealed, clapping her hands together. "Then I shall prepare the breakfast!"

Aqualad's eyes shot open, and Speedy paused the game. They both stared at Robin.

"She…She's going t-to cook?" Speedy asked quietly.

"You don't have to eat it, you know." Robin said, hitting the 'start' button to continue the game.

"Yeah, but if we don't she'll start bawling." Speedy snorted.


	4. Chapter 4: Greasers

Yayy! It's movie night at the T-Tower! :D This was fun writing, I even had The Outsiders DVD in my computer watching it so I could write it in here. Btw, I ovbiously don't own The Outsiders, I just love that movie to death.

* * *

"MOOOVIE NIIIGHT, YOU GUYYYS!!!" Beast Boy shouted from down the hall.

"Really? Wasn't it movie night last night?" Speedy asked, a bit distracted by a magazine we was looking at.

Beast Boy strode down the steps and to the front of the living room, with one blank DVD case in his hand. "Yes."

"Is every night move night?"

Beast Boy turned to face Speedy, with his ears dropped a little and his expression either annoyed, or pained, Speedy couldn't quite tell. He sniffed before answering with a short, "Yes."

"So what's the flick for tonight?" Cyborg said while stuffing his face with popcorn.

"The Outsiders!" Beast Boy grinned happily.

"The…Outsiders?" Aqualad looked confused.

"Yeah, it's like the best thing ever conceived. It's this teen-angst-gangster-time type movie. You guys will love it!"

"And what gave you that idea?! Man, I was hopin' for ninjas or something!" Cyborg complained.

"Hello friends! What glorious moving picture will we view tonight?" Starfire asked joyfully as she walked to the kitchen. "And shall I fetch Raven and Robin for the potatoeing on the couch?"

"Sure, we're watching the Outsiders!"

"The Outsiders? We are watching a movie about being from the outside?"

"Just…" Beast Boy sighed and slid a hand through his hair quickly. "Yes. Just go get Rae and Robin please."

Starfire smiled and floated over to the sliding doors. As soon as the doors closed behind her, Beast Boy slapped his forehead with his palm.

"Every movie night! It's the same thing! Sometimes it just makes me wonder if she's got half a brain in that cranium." Beast Boy mumbled angrily as he opened the DVD drive. He placed the disc in the holder and pressed the close button. He grumbled more as he walked over to the kitchen to pop some popcorn. Starfire glided back through the door with a frown on her face.

"Friend Raven wishes to remain in her room. She has said that the novel is always better than the film…"

"LIES!" Beast Boy shouted humorously, his body completely turned to the microwave and his eyes locked on the inflating bag of popcorn.

"…and friend Robin says he wishes to investigate Speedy's 'nightmares'…please, a 'nightmare' is a dark horse?"

"No Star, it's a dream that's very very scary. And most likely makes you scream like a sissy." Aqualad looked at Speedy and snickered.

"It's a 120% MANLY scream. I told you that already." Speedy frowned and tossed his magazine at Aqualad. Starfire giggled and sat down on the couch next to Speedy.

"So friend Speedy, you are having dreams that make you scream?" She asked, looking at him with interest.

"Y-yeah...they aren't fun."

A quiet beeping sound caused her to look away at Beast Boy, who yanked open the microwave door as soon as the timer went off.

"MOVIE TIME!" he shouted, grinning madly. "Is it just the four of us then?"

"I think so." Aqualad said, stretching out his arms and yawning.

"Awesome." Beast Boy pressed the play button, and the giant screen showed a boy with blonde hair slicked to the side, looking off at something. Then he turned to a notebook and began writing in a scrawled, cursive print.

_When I stepped out into the bright sunlight_ _from the darkness of the movie house…_

At about 25 minutes into the movie Starfire ran away screaming, "THEY'RE DROWNING HIM!", and Beast Boy had to turn it off because she was getting so upset. He was silently thanking the stars that she's hadn't seen what Johnny had done next. He tried to explain to her that the movie got better, but she denied it and yelled at him for making her watch it.

"Well…since Star's furious with me, I think I'll just go to bed now…but you guys can watch the rest if you want."

"No it's alright. I'm gonna hit the sack too." Speedy said with a yawn.

"Night, you guys." Beast Boy said and walked out the automatic doors.

"Night, Garth." Speedy mumbled, laying down on the couch and covering himself with a blanket.

"Good night, Ponyboy." Aqualad said lazily.

"…what?" Speedy asked, sitting up to stare at Aqualad.

"I said good night, Roy."

"You called me Ponyboy."

"It's that movie mixing with my exhaustion. Now go to sleep."

"Fine...Johnny."

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

_The boy's smiled dropped a little, as he raised his hand to the nearest knight's forehead. "As much as I'd love to stay here and chat, I have the world to conquer. And time waits for no man, if I'm not mistaken." The knight trembled, and raised his sword to the boy's throat. "M-move, a-and I'll c-c-cut your throat!" the knight threatened sheepishly. He boy only laughed as he clenched his hand into a fist, and flung it forward as if he were throwing something. The knight was lifted from the ground and flew backward at a building. The boy turned to the others. "If you were smart, you'd get out of my path. You don't want to end up like your friend there, do you?" He motioned towards the limp, bleeding body on the ground. "Unless you want to be food for the woodland creatures, I suggest you step aside."_

Speedy's head met the floor with a harsh _thump._ He groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. He looked around. Aqualad was still sleeping, though the position he was in looked painful. Speedy looked out the window to see a rather dull sunrise.

"What's happening to me?" He wondered out loud.

He heard a little noise coming from beside him. He looked at Aqualad who had just woken up.

"What are you doing on the floor?" He asked, rubbing one eye.

"I was dreaming and I guess I fell on the floor." Speedy said, climbing back on the couch.

"Oh." Aqualad yawned. "What time is it?"

"I dunno. Probably around 5 AM or something."

"Then I'm going back to sleep." Aqualad said while curling back up in a ball.

"Fine, Johnny, be my guest."

"…Johnny?" Aqualad questioned.

"Yeah, you called me Ponyboy so I'm calling you Johnny."

"…whatever." Aqualad flipped over so that his face was buried in the couch.

Speedy stood up and decided to go see Robin. Dick _had _to have thought of something. He always does.


	5. Chapter 5: Eyes

So...It's 1:32 AM...and my wonderful friend Aquaven11 inspired me to write chapter 5...right this second. (Quote: "YAY!!! OK NOW GO DO 5!")

Haha, you know I still love you. In a friendly way. XD Mkay, enjoi!

* * *

"Mornin', Dick." Speedy said as he walked into Robin's room. It wasn't anything special, even the paint on the wall seemed like a normal kid's room. Robin was sitting at the desk, which by the way was cluttered with papers and news clippings, and had clearly fallen asleep.

"Wha…oh, good morning." Robin said, sitting up and stretching out his arms.

"Anything new?"

"Not particu-…are you wearing contacts?"

"Huh? N-no…my eyes are naturally green…" Speedy said, very confused.

"B-but they're…red…"

"My eyes are RED?!" Speedy squeaked, hands flying up to meet his hair. "Do you have a mirror?!"

"Yeah…just a sec…" Robin yawned, clumsily walking to his dresser. He pulled out a mirror and handed it to Speedy.

"…shit…I don't think that's good…"

"Were they green yesterday?"

"I think so…"

"Did you have any other dreams with that…boy in them?" Robin asked quietly.

Speedy nodded, he didn't want to risk bleeding again.

"Hmm…" Robin tapped his chin with his index finger, then yawned, and pulled off his own mask.

"What are you doing?" Speedy asked.

"Nothing, my face gets sweaty under that thing."

"…gross…"

"I have an idea." Robin said while pulling off his gloves. "But you're going to have to act normal for a few hours."

"…I don't act normal?"

"Beating up burglars in tights is _not _normal." Robin laughed, looking through his closet.

"So why do we have to act normal?"

"You'll see. Go get Garth."

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

"COME! ON!" Speedy shouted, trying to yank Aqualad off the couch.

"NO!" Aqualad yelled back. "I'M NOT LEAVING!"

"AND WHY THE HELL NOT?!" Speedy screamed, falling backward when Aqualad let go.

"Because frankly, I don't want to dress up like the Backstreet Boys and eat pizza all day." Aqualad said.

"More like NSYNC. " Speedy mumbled while standing back upright.

"There's a difference?"

"Two words: JUSTIN. TIMBERLAKE. Where have you been, living under a rock?"

"Under the ocean."

"You and your stupid undersea adventures."

"You and your stupid land dwelling journeys."

"I hate you."

"Hate you more."

"Anyway, Dick told me to come and get you. He's got something planned. But we have to act normal."

"What part of 'I do not want to' don't you get?"

"The 'do not' part."

"You're really that stupid?"

"No, I'm just that much of a smartass. Now COME ON!"

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

"I feel pretty stupid."

"Suck it up, princess."

"No, I'm serious. These feel so weird."

"Just because they aren't a wetsuit doesn't mean you can diss them as such."

Aqualad didn't like jeans at all. He didn't like how they looked, he didn't like how they felt, and he didn't like the shade of blue they were. The other two were wearing jeans, and they fit them nicely, but Aqualad was just too tall for any of Robin's jeans. They fell just short of a few inches above his ankles.

"I'm too tall for these…" Aqualad said. "Can't I just stay here?"

"Come on, it'll be fun. Plus, it will help us towards finding out what's wrong with Roy."

"Ugh…fine…" Aqualad grumbled as he pulled on a T shirt. If he had to humiliate himself, he might as well do it with friends. "Don't you have any longer jeans?"

"No, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not so tall." Robin said while putting gel in his hair.

"Don't worry Garth; I bet the girls won't even be looking at your legs." Speedy smirked, and Aqualad punched him in the arm.

They walked out of Robin's room looking like a group of regular teenage boys. Except for Aqualad, of course, who was extremely unhappy.

"You know, you could ask one of the girls to go if you want to." Robin whispered to Aqualad when Speedy was busy not listening.

"Alright then…can I just meet you guys there?" He asked.

"Sure. Speedy, Garth's just gonna meet us there, so quit messing with your hair and let's go!" Robin said, walking out the door.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Aqualad took in a deep breath when he got to Raven's door. He raised a shaky hand to meet the door and knocked three times. The door slid open, and Raven stared at him a little less sharply than before. Her eyes still shined and made him feel a little queasy.

"…may I ask what's with the getup?" She said, looking him up and down.

"Experimentation…" He said shyly and just then forgot what he was doing at her door. "Um…"

"So…" she half asked, half stated.

"Oh! I remember! Do you want to come down to the Pizza Parlor with me? W-well, not just me…Dick and Roy are gonna be there to…"

"Why not?" She smiled ever-so-slightly, and walked out to stand beside him. He smiled way too happily, he thought, because his cheeks hurt already.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Speedy looked like a nervous wreck. As soon as Robin and he had sat down at the table, he had felt a blush creeping up in his face, and his hands shook lightly. It only got worse as more people came to the restaurant. A sweat broke out, and he got jumpy when people talked.

"I want to leave!" He whispered. "I want to leave, Dick! Right now!"

"Hmm…interesting."

Speedy's currently red eyes darted from place to place. His breaths became shorter, and his hands shook harder.

"I WANT TO LEAVE. I CAN'T DO THIS!" Speedy grabbed Robin's wrists. "Please…"

"But what about Aqualad? What'll he think when he gets here and we're back at the T-Tower running tests?"

"He'll have to understand…I can't stay here, Richard. I feel like a schizophrenic!"

Robin nodded and stood up. "Richard? Haven't heard that from you since I broke one of your arrows a few years back…"

"Shut up and take me home…" Speedy glowered at him.


	6. Chapter 6: Twitching

Alright, so I hadn't originally planned on putting so much in this chapter, but I thought 'what the heck, I'll do it for the children!'

...but then I realized that children wouldn't read this.

enjoi anyway. :D

* * *

By the time Speedy and Robin got back to the tower, Raven and Aqualad were just about to leave. Raven insisted upon wearing her normal robe, keeping the hood up to cover her head. All four of them nearly ran into each other, although Speedy was the only one who screamed.

"Whoa there, what's up with him?" Aqualad asked after regaining his posture.

"I'm being TORMENTED, th-that's WHAT!" He screamed, blinking rapidly. His eyes were turning bloodshot in the corners, and every once in a while his left eye would twitch.

"Raven, we're going to need your help again." Robin said while walking Speedy to the couch.

"Oh joy, I get to help." She rolled her eyes and walked over to Robin. Aqualad sighed and followed her, taking a seat next to Speedy.

"I need you to get into his thoughts and tell us what's wrong." Robin explained, hooking up the helmet to Speedy again.

"Alright, but it's not going to be pretty in there." She sighed, helping Robin with the helmet.

Speedy would twitch and jerk every few seconds, causing the helmet to slip. Robin held it on with one hand while the other was strapping on the chin strap.

"Try and hold still." Robin told him.

"C-can't….control….anything…." Speedy choked out.

"Okay Raven, go ahead." Robin announced, struggling to keep Speedy's helmet on.

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos!" She chanted, and her eyes beamed white. Speedy's eyes glowed white as well, and his shaking ceased.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Raven had been in peoples' minds before. She had seen terrible things, experienced what they had. With Robin, she saw the tragedy of losing his parents, she saw him in the Bat Cave, and she saw what was making him insane.

Speedy's mind wasn't so different at parts. She saw fire and death, a giant mansion, needles and rubber bands, yelling, swearing, hitting…

Then she saw a boy. He looked about 17 or 18, with dark gray skin. His hair was white, his nails were long and claw-like, his clothes were torn, and his eyes were blood-red. He was saying something…

Suddenly, she shot back to reality. She was sitting cross-legged in front of Speedy, breathing hard.

"Well…what'd you see?" Aqualad asked.

"A boy…he...he looked just like Speedy…" She whispered, her eyes wide and looking up at Aqualad.

"Go figure. He's so full of himself…" Aqualad shook his head.

"It's not a joke! It looked like him, but it wasn't him. This boy was older, and h-his eyes…" She looked off out the window, in a daze. "His eyes were red as blood…and his skin was gray…"

"T-that's who I've been seeing….in my dreams…" Speedy twitched. "H-he's a killer…h-he's killing the people…"

"He was saying something to me…but I couldn't tell. I'll have to go back when Speedy falls asleep." Raven explained.

"Well let's get him some Tylenol PM and you can get back in there." Aqualad said, already heading for the kitchen cabinets.

"N-no use….o-only happens at night…" Speedy stuttered. "Gahh…"

Speedy clutched his head and rubbed his eyes. They were no longer red, but were still very bloodshot and twitchy.

"I-it hurts! It HURTS!" He yelled.

"What hurts?!" Robin asked, putting a hand on Speedy's shoulder.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" He growled. His teeth looked like fangs now. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Dude…he's turning into a vampire…" Aqualad joked, walking back to the couch.

"Ahhh…No…nononoNONO!" He screamed, standing up and digging his short nails into his scalp. "NOT NOW!"

"What's happening?!" Robin asked Raven.

"I think…I think he's being possessed." She said, backing away just a bit. "You two might want to take cover. This spirit is strong."

Speedy staggered around a bit, screaming and clutching his head. He fell to his knees and tears dripped down his face. "IT HURTS!!"

Suddenly, his tears turn a sickening shade of red, and his eyes do the same. His hair fades from orange to white, and his skin darkens in a matter of seconds.

"SPEEDY!" Robin yells, running over to him on the floor.

"D-don't look at me…I'm not…" He tries to say, but a new voice takes over. He slowly stands up pushing Robin out of the way. This new voice was eerie, although it was only a voice.

"I'm sorry for alarming you all…" It started. "…but this boy has been chosen as a messenger. Roy Harper, if I am not mistaken."

"What's a messenger?!" Aqualad yelled. "Why does it have to be Roy?! Can't you just leave him alone? He's gone through too much already in his lifetime!"

"Ah, but it is these hardships that make him a perfect provider. Messengers are like databases to our Master. They send data about this world to the Master, who then uses it against the planet for conquer. This boy has done so many things to himself that it tells us the people of this planet are reckless. He has beaten himself, abused himself, and has so many scars you cannot count them all. This tells us that the people of this planet are worthless pessimists, nothing but depressed beings."

"That's not fair! That's Roy's own doing! Not everyone on earth is like that! Not everyone is depressed, you know." Aqualad explained.

"Oh really? You mean to tell me…you, the shunned Prince of Atlantis, the exiled hero that everyone of your kind hated, never bring that down upon yourself?" It questioned, and Aqualad could swear he saw it twitch.

"No…" He answered through gritted teeth. "…because I have found people who care about me."

"If only that were true. You and I both know that the one person you truly love does not love you back."

Aqualad cringed. He felt anger bubbling inside him. "Who do you think you are?! How do you know _anything _about me?!" He pointed a finger harshly at the being. It laughed and tapped its head.

"Messenger." It shook it head while smiling. But its smile slowly dropped, and its eyes grew wide.

"GET…OUT…OF…ME!" It yelled at itself. "DO NOT HURT MY FRIENDS!"

Its whole body shook and fell to the floor. It shook its head furiously, yelling at itself.

"GET OUT!!" It screamed, and its eyes turned green again. Its hair faded back to orange and its skin was tan again. Speedy was back.

"You handled that nicely." Raven said.

Speedy was breathing hard, still twitching a few times, and clutching his head.

"Is it supposed to burn your insides every time you breathe in when that happens?!" Speedy's voiced cracked.

"Hm…I suppose not." She said, floating over to him to help him up.

"What was that?" Robin asked, still dazed about the entire situation.

"I…" Speedy started, but stopped.

"He was possessed by the boy I saw in his mind." Raven told him.

"I want this to stop…" Speedy said, sitting on the couch and wiping his eyes. "I'm so sick of it…"

"Roy, are you…crying?" Aqualad asked, sitting next to Speedy and putting a hand on his shoulder. Speedy batted it away, and sniffed.

"Yeah…you would be too if it felt like your blood turned into fire and your muscles ached like hell..."

"It's going to be alright, Roy. We'll fix this…somehow…"

Aqualad looked up at the stars through the windows, and he could swear he heard someone telling him that he was lying.


	7. Chapter 7: Almost

I'd like to thank Aquaven11 for practically writing this chapter's idea for me. Thanks, buddy! :)

(lotsa Aqua/Rae in dis here chappy. :D)

* * *

Speedy could hear things, this voice that stuck in his head at night when he couldn't sleep. It talked to him, it asked him questions. He talked back sometimes, through thoughts. Or, he'd cuss it out viciously and scare Aqualad nearly half to death.

Raven could hear it too. She hated having a mental connection with Speedy, she hated him so much. So one night, she decided to stop it.

She crept out from her room and into the living room where Aqualad and Speedy slept on the couch. She strode past Aqualad, smiling at how cute he looked when he slept tucked up in a ball like that. She quickly shook her head and continued on with her real reason. She walked over to Speedy, and crouched down so that his head was level to hers.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" She whispered, and everything turned dark.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

It wasn't the same as she remembered. And she wondered for a moment if Speedy's mind changed with the light. She couldn't see much, it was pretty dark. She started walking, whispering a 'Hello?' every now and again as if someone would answer. She saw a light up ahead, and continued walking.

When she reached the light, a gust of wind blew all around her, nearly knocking her down. When she regained her composure, she looked around to find that she was in the middle of an abandoned village.

"Roomy." She murmured while looking around. She heard a sort of thundering noise coming from far off in the distance. She looked behind her and her eyes widened. A stampede of black, zombie-looking horses was galloping at full speed towards her. She closed her eyes and flew up into the air and hid behind a small roof of a house. The stampede blew by, but she waited until she couldn't see the dust they left behind anymore. She raised an eyebrow and floated back to the ground. She walked around some more, until she came to a house with smoke coming from the chimney resting atop its roof.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Aqualad thought he heard someone walk into the living room. He lifted his head slightly, trying to settle his eyes with the darkness of the room. He saw a hooded figure sitting in front of Speedy, and instantly felt curious. He sat up completely and stared at the unmoving pair. He shook his head and flipped off the blanket that was keeping him warm, and walked over to them.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

She opened the door, and found nothing but a dirty, empty house.

"Hello? Anyone home?" She asked, slowly walking to a small table. It had a note, carefully laced with a neat bow and a rose in a vase. She picked it up and read it out loud.

"I don't know how you got into my mind…but I'd like you to leave…if you don't, I'll have to shoot an arrow through your throat, you foul vermin. Love, Roy Harper." She shook her head. "What a surprise."

A rustle came from outside, and she quickly turned to the tree just outside the door.

"Is that you, Speedy?" She asked.

No answer. She walked out the door and turned to the tree.

"Roy if you don't put that bow away, I'll do it for you."

"How'd you know I was here?" Speedy asked, leaping down from a tree limb. "And how'd you get here?"

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Aqualad was puzzled. There was Raven, sitting face to face with Speedy, her eyes closed and her body lifeless. He poked her, but she did nothing. He poked Speedy, and he only shifted a tad.

"R-Raven…? Are you…alive?" He asked cautiously. She did not answer.

"Speedy?" He touched the boy's eyelid. He still didn't respond.

"If this is some kind of prank, it's not funny guys." He said sternly. Still, no one moved.

"Raven? Are you…in Speedy's mind again?" He asked her, not expecting a reaction. "C-could you get out of there? It's dangerous in his head at night…" He tried to pick her up, but she was like stone, glued to the floor almost.

"RAVEN. Please do something…" He said, shaking her shoulders. He looked at Speedy and frowned, then he leaned over Speedy's ear.

"Hello?" He said, tapping Speedy's head as well. "If Raven's in there, I'd like her to come out please."

Speedy didn't move.

"Come on!" He said, frustrated. He shook Speedy's head a little.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

"Remember earlier today how I got in your mind? That's how I'm here now. And I'm trying to find a way to stop those voices from invading my thoughts when I sleep."

"You and me both…" He said, rubbing his neck. "So…"

"So what? We need to get going." She said, heading off in the direction the stampede of horses went.

"Oh, you don't want to go that way, Rae!" He said and ran after her.

"Why not?"

"Because, that leads you to the nightmare part of this dream…and you'll have to deal with that…_vampire _guy."

"I'm shaking." She said sarcastically.

"Y-you can't go! Not without me…" He said.

"Of course I can't." she rolled her eyes.

"Just…ugh, okay…let's go…" He said, trudging forward.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

"RAVEN! SPEEDY! WAKE UP!!" By now, Aqualad had resorted to slapping Speedy repeatedly and opening Raven's eyelids with his fingers. Speedy's only reaction was his cheeks turning red, and Raven's eyes appeared to have rolled back into her head.

Aqualad sighed and fell onto the couch. But he quickly shot up with a new idea. He picked Speedy up and sat him on the floor next to Raven. Then, he took Speedy's head and shook it rapidly, as if trying to shake Raven out of his head.

"GET OUT!!" He yelled and slapped Speedy one more time. Then, he lay on the floor helplessly. He'd run out of ideas, and frankly, he was too tired to care anymore. He sat up and rested his head on Raven's shoulder. What if Raven was stuck in Speedy's head? The thought made him cringe, he'd hate to be stuck in Speedy's head.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Raven and Speedy walked silently on the dirt road. The blue sky was slowly fading to gray, and the green grass was dying as they walked on.

"So. Being possessed. Isn't fun, is it?" Raven said, trying to break the loud silence that buzzed in her ears.

Speedy shook his head, looking at his feet as if in shame.

"It hurt. It felt…it felt like my entire body was burning on the inside. My muscles hurt all over…and my throat burned so bad when he talked." Speedy explained. He shivered at the memory.

Raven nodded. "Most humans never experience anything paranormal like that. Being possessed by such a strong spirit is rare."

Speedy looked at her. She was staring at the road ahead.

"How much longer until we hit the nightmare section?" She asked.

"A few centimeters…" Speedy gulped. His heart was beating fast already. "H-hey, what happens if I wake up while you're in here?" He asked.

"I'll be stuck in here until you fall this deep in sleep again."

"Oh…" He said. "Th-then I should stay here…I'll wake up if I go any further."

"How do you know?" She asked.

"See that red swirly cloud up there?" He pointed to a deep red funnel cloud. "That marks the location of the boy. If I walk within this ring of dark gray clouds here," He pointed to a spiral of gray clouds. "I'm toast. He'll kill me in my own mind."

Raven sighed. "Of course. Look, stay here and look for a way for me to get out. I just need to talk to this guy…"

Speedy nodded, and darted back the way he came.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Aqualad felt lonely. He was sitting with his head leaned against Raven's, and his arm around Speedy's shoulders. He began to think deeply about all sorts of things.

_Will they ever wake up?_

_Will Speedy's nightmares stop?_

_Does Raven really not love me back?_

He looked at her and frowned. He wanted to see her smile.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Raven was almost within the first rung of the Red funnel cloud's rings when she heard a loud _crack!_

She opened her eyes and felt a sort of pressure against her head. She was looking straight at the couch. "Aqualad…?" She asked. The pressure on her head went away that instant, and was replaced with a giant hug.

"Raven! Oh God, you don't know how scared I was!"

She blushed and hugged back. "It's okay; I was only gone for a bit."

"No, you were out for hours. It's almost dawn." He said, looking her in the eyes. "What did you see?"

"Well, I saw Speedy." Speedy leaned forward, one hand on his forehead, the other resting on his knee.

"YOU!" He said, pointing a finger at Raven. "You stay OUT of my dreams!" He climbed back on the couch and rolled over angrily.

Raven looked at Aqualad.

"Were you really scared?"

"Of course…" He said, blushing. "Two of my best friends were out cold in the middle of the night."

"I'm your best friend?" She asked, a little confused.

"Sh-sure." He replied. He was blushing even more.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

"Can I ask you something?" She said while Aqualad was walking her back to her room.

"Yeah."

"When that boy possessed Speedy and said that the one you truly loved didn't love you back…who was he talking about?"

Aqualad froze. He didn't want to tell her yet.

"I…"

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me. I'll understand."

He rubbed his neck.

"I…Um…I'll tell you later, it's late. I mean early. It's early. And I'm tired, and I'm sure you are too, and-"

Raven hugged him just to shut him up.

"Thank you." She said, and shuffled into her room.


	8. Chapter 8: Touch

Yay! I got it done! :D I can't believe I bothered with Mas and Menos again....but they're just so darn cute. ^_^ Translations are at the end of the chapter!

P.s.- Mega-super-lotsa Aqualad/Raven for my ill friend Aquaven11! (I feel like I've mentioned you in every chapter, dude. XD)

* * *

"RICHARD!! RICHARD GRAYSON, YOU GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!!" Speedy screamed right outside of Robin's door.

Robin stepped out lazily, rubbing one eye. "What's the matter?" He asked.

Speedy was holding Raven by her elbow. He pointed a finger at her head, and she rolled her eyes.

"SHE GOT IN MY HEAD WHILE I WAS SLEEPING!"

"Raven…" Robin started. "Why don't you come have a talk with me?"

Raven nodded slightly, and walked towards Robin.

Speedy stood leaning against the door frame and glaring at Raven.

"Uh…Speedy?" Robin said.

"What?" He asked sharply.

"Go away now."

"…fine." Speedy said, turning on his heel and walking away.

Robin took a seat in a swerve chair in front of his desk, while Raven sat in a small wooden chair on the other side.

"Raven, you do know that you practically just violated Speedy's privacy, right? I mean, getting in his head, reading his thoughts, being in his dreams…that'd make me feel pretty violated if I were him…"

"You don't understand. I was hearing that…thing talk to me at night. I could hear it tormenting Speedy with questions and I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to stop it."

"You could have asked him."

"He would've said no! And I didn't want to hear him scream anymore…I don't care what he says, his scream is _not _manly."

"As true as that is, I can tell he's scared of you now."

"How?"

"Well, I've known Speedy for a long time. Ever since we were kids he's hidden his fear with anger. So with the way he marched you over here, I think he's afraid you know too much about him."

"I barely know him at all! I mean, I saw parts of his past, but that doesn't mean I necessarily know what he's done."

"But _he _doesn't understand that. Look, he's arrogant, selfish, and self-centered on the outside. But on the inside, he's just like you and me. He's been hurt and abused both emotionally and physically, so he's cautious around everyone. He thinks that since you've been in his head and seen what he's seen, you know everything about him, all his secrets and memories. I just…What I'm trying to say is that you can't just play around with him like that."

"I…"

"I think it'd be best if you just went out there and apologized. I'm just not sure how to explain him to you…"

Raven was bewildered. She understood nothing of what she heard just then. She stood up slowly and walked out of the door.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

In the living room, Speedy and Aqualad were having a video chat with Mas and Menos.

"Hola Aqualad y niño bonito! Te echamos de menos aquí!" Mas said happily.

"We miss you guys too. How's Bee been?"

"To que sea breve, es muy tranquilo por aquí." Menos said solemnly.

Mas nodded. "Ella nos cocina la cena y nos pone a la cama, pero luego desaparece."

Aqualad scratched his head.

"That doesn't sound like her…"

"Yeah, Bee's usually busy bossing around all of us…personally, I think she just loves listening to her own voice." Speedy said matter-of-factly.

Aqualad slapped him upside the head. "Don't talk about our leader that way!"

Speedy frowned. "Fine."

"So, have any villains been bothering you guys?"

"Unos pocos, pero no lo suficiente para llevarnos abajo!" Mas said, hi-fiving Menos.

"WOO!" Said Speedy, but then leaned over and whispered to Aqualad, "What'd they say?"

"…you should really use Rosetta Stone or something."

"I would if I had money…"

"Let me guess, you blew it all on-"

"No, I didn't. And that's not fair; those were dark times for me!"

"I wasn't even referring to that!"

"…I don't care. Don't mention it in front of the children."

Speedy pointed the screen showing Mas yawning and Menos picking his nose.

"¡Eh!! No somos niños! Nuestro cumpleaños es en unos pocos meses!" Mas said after one rather long yawn.

"Don't pay attention to him, Mas. He's just being difficult."

"Am not!" Speedy shouted.

"Shut it, I'm tired of your stupidity!"

"At least I don't talk to fish about my problems!"

"I bet the fish wouldn't want to listen to your rambling!"

"I bet they don't want to listen to yours!"

"Parar! No me gusta pelear!" Menos yelled, hugging Mas.

"Usted debe sentirse vergonzosa ..." Mas said, shaking his head and hugging his crying brother.

"See? Look what you did!" Speedy said.

"No, don't put this on me! This was both our faults!" Aqualad retorted.

"YOU MADE A LITTLE BOY CRY!"

"QUIET!" Raven shouted.

All four boys looked at her at once.

"I am tired of everyone's yelling around here. I don't care how relevant the situation was to anything, but both of you need to apologize to Mas and Menos." She glared at Speedy.

Speedy sighed and turned to the screen.

"I'm sorry, you guys…I just like making fish boy mad. I guess it gets out of hand sometimes…"

"I'm sorry too. I have a short temper with Roy…I didn't mean to scare you, Menos."

"Good. Now, there are a few things I need to take care of as well…" Raven said. She looked at Speedy.

"Could I talk with you for a moment, Roy?" She asked. He nodded and followed her to the hallway.

"I'd like to apologize for sneaking into your mind at night. I didn't know you'd react that way." She said honestly, looking him in the eyes.

"It's alright; I shouldn't have blown up at you. I just…so many things have gone wrong with me that I've learned not to trust people."

"But what happened to you to act this way?"

Speedy sighed. He didn't like talking about his past with anyone, even Robin.

"I should start at the beginning-"

"That'd be favorable." Raven said.

He sighed again. "Anyway, my father passed when I was very young. He was a forest Ranger and died while trying to save someone from a fire."

"Who?"

"Not important. So a few years later I became the ward of a super rich guy named Oliver Queen."

"Like Robin?"

"Yes, and I'm NOT his clone. Well me and Ollie we were pretty close. But due to reasons I'd rather not go into detail with at the moment, he stopped spending time with me. So, I started doing heroin."

"Speedy…"

"Yeah, I always thought that was ironic. Anyhow, He kicked me out…more like punched me out, but you get it. And I got clean and whatnot. But it just wasn't the same when I was with him. So I went out on my own and joined the Titans East. Then these nightmares happened and…" Speedy looked away. Had he really just told his entire life's story to some girl he didn't even know so well?

"I just don't get along well with people." He said after a few minutes of silence.

"I know how you feel." She said, looking away.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Aqualad had calmed Mas and Menos down. When Raven walked in with Speedy, they shouted, "Hola Raven! ¿Dónde has estado? ¿Qué hizo usted y Speedy hacer?"

She looked at Aqualad. He opened his mouth to explain, but she silenced him.

"I really need to talk to you. Could you come here?" She asked. He nodded sheepishly.

He felt like screaming. He felt that familiar feeling bubble in his stomach, something like nervousness. When they got into the hallway he let out a harsh sigh. He couldn't take it any longer.

"Raven, I really really need to tell you something." He stuttered, blushing. She looked at him with surprise. "Go ahead."

"I…when the demon guy said the thing about me loving someone that didn't love me back…he….he was talking about you." Aqualad looked away. He was expecting the worst. But instead, he felt her hand on his cheek, pulling his face to look at her.

"That's what I wanted to tell you…I think I love you, Garth." She smiled, and he felt like melting. His ears buzzed loudly and his heart was beating hard. He swallowed before talking again.

"C-could I…?" He asked. He hoped she knew what he was asking. She nodded. He smiled and leaned down to touch his lips to hers. Even though it was just for that brief moment, he felt sparks. He hugged her, and she laughed quietly.

Maybe, he thought, things would turn out okay.

* * *

Mas and Menos translations! (in order)

1. "Hello Aqualad and pretty boy! We miss you here!"

2. "To be brief, it is very quiet around here."

3. "She cooks us dinner and puts us to bed, but then disappears."

4. "A few, but not enough to bring us down!"

5. "Hey! We are not children! Our birthday is in a few months!"

6. "Stop! I do not like fighting!"

7. "You should feel shameful..."

8. "Hello Raven! Where have you been? What did you and Speedy do?"


	9. Chapter 9: Beginning

I should be in bed right now! Yeyy~! Thanks for the reviews, guys! I'm glad everyone likes it so far! :D

* * *

_On a rather large hill in the middle of the plains stood a Windmill. Every being of the land knew that once they passed the windmill, freedom was just a few steps away. But ever since the grass started turning gray on both sides of the Windmill, doubt spread. And when the blue skies turned dark with Celestial Ash, no person believed in freedom any longer. The monster that lurked within the Ash had progressed well beyond the Windmill, spreading fear and shadows across the land. He had taken thrown in a large city far beyond the mark of freedom. Few had asked his name, the rest were too afraid to even approach him. Though when they did ask, he replied,"Whoever my victim may be."_

"Speedy?"

_At the time, people thought nothing of the word 'victim'. They figured it may be simply a criminal locked in the treachery of the dungeons._

"Speedy? Wake up."

_Such a shame, the people knew nothing of what their ruler was truly speaking._

"Speedy! Please!"

_Not until the old Windmill, the symbol of hope for all was burned down._

"Speedy!!"

"AH!" Speedy woke up to the feeling of cold hands on his cheeks, shaking his head. It was Aqualad.

"Oh thank God…" Aqualad whispered. "I've been trying to wake you for at least half an hour!"

"I'm sorry…It's been getting so hard to wake up from those dreams…"

"Now is not the time. The city is under attack." Speedy looked outside, but all he could see was darkness.

"What time is it?"

"Two in the afternoon…" Aqualad said almost shamefully.

"But…but it's so dark out!"

"I know! We have to get going. The other titans are already out there. Grab your quiver and let's go."

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

The first thing Speedy noticed about the outside was that there was no wind. The second thing he noticed was that it was silent. He ran right beside Aqualad to the giant, spinning, red cloud. The third thing he noticed was that it was getting hard to breathe.

"Come on!" Aqualad said, still running towards the funnel cloud.

"I…can't…" Speedy said, gripping his bow tightly.

"Roy, your eyes are red again!" Aqualad shouted, slowing down.

"Keep…going!" Speedy shouted back, coming to a complete stop. Speedy felt his limbs going numb again, just like before. "G-garth…Garth, it hurts again! He's coming back!" He fell to his knees, dropping his bow.

"I'll go get Raven!" Aqualad shouted, and he disappeared into the smoke.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

It was like being in the eye of a storm, Aqualad thought.

"Raven?" He called. No answer. He saw a beam of green light even now and again, and perhaps a blue streak, but he couldn't seem to find Raven.

"RAVEN!" He shouted blindly into the dark.

"Garth!" He heard barely. "Garth where are you?" It was a little louder.

"Over here! Follow the sound of my voice!" Suddenly, she popped up right behind him.

"Or I could just teleport to you." She smiled.

"Speedy's being possessed again. Come with me." He said, leading her out of the cloud of Ash.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Speedy was still on his knees, though a lot had changed already. His eyes were a striking red, his hair streaked with snow white and his skin a dark gray.

"Raven…" Speedy said. His voice was cracked.

"Speedy!" She ran to him, trying to help him up.

"I can't…feel anything…please…" He said slowly.

"You have to try! You can't leave us!" She still tried to pull him to his feet. "Garth, help!"

Aqualad ran over, grabbing Speedy's other arm. He pulled as hard as he could, gradually lifting Speedy to his feet. He slumped over on Aqualad's shoulder, still not able to support himself.

One of Speedy's arms was around Aqualad's neck, the other clutching his stomach. He gasped when the claw-like nails came back, digging into his flesh.

"Raven, can you tell who he's getting possessed by?!" Aqualad asked, struggling to hold Speedy up.

"…It's not the same spirit as before…this is much, much more powerful…" She shook her head. Then her eyes glowed white with concentration. When the turned back to violet, they were wide with fear.

"It…It's the demon haunting his dreams…It's taking over his body…It's the Master…"

"Oh no…" Aqualad whispered.

"There's nothing we can do to stop it from happening…He's just going to have to fight it himself." She said solemnly.

"We can't just leave him here!"

"That's why I'm calling the titans. We're going to have to take him to the middle of the storm."

Speedy groaned. Blood was leaking from his stomach where his nails had punctured him.

"Come on!" Raven said, flying in the air to lead Aqualad through the storm.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

The middle of the storm wasn't so different. Aqualad sat Speedy down on the ground just to see what would happen, and was regretful for ever doing so.

Speedy slowly got to his feet. He cracked his neck both ways, then turned to look at Aqualad. He had a ghastly smile, filled with two rows of sparkling, white fangs.

"Shame, this boy trusts you as a friend. Then again, he doesn't know how to trust, does he?" It laughed and pulled an arrow from Speedy's quiver, aiming it at Aqualad.

"I've never possessed an archer before. This could be interesting." It smirked and pulled back the string.

"Stop! Do not harm him!" Raven descended from above, standing in front of Aqualad.

The demon's grip on the arrow loosened just a bit.

"You really think you're going to stop me? Daughter of Trigon…you should know better…" It snickered and let go of the string, sending the arrow flying for Raven.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Speedy could see it. He was watching it with his own eyes. The problem was that he couldn't stop it. He had stopped it before, but that was merely dumb luck. He was dealing with the real thing now. He watched it pull arrow after arrow, splitting the air and almost sticking his friends. He was mad. No, he was furious. Not only should no one be allowed to touch his bow but himself, but no one should hurt his friends with his own weapons. He felt constricted; limited to only thoughts. It was making him crazy. He couldn't stand it much longer. He had to break free.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

"Who are you?!" Aqualad asked after dodging an arrow that had the look of a boxing glove.

"Not the best time for questions!" Raven shouted, protecting herself with a force field from the array of arrows flying at her.

"Now now dear, don't interrupt. My name is only as good as my victim's. If you'd like to call me by any name, it should be your friend's; Roy Harper."

"I will _never _call you by his name!" Aqualad shouted, pulling up pipes from the ground and gushing water at the demon.

"But you see, names are just so you can tell your kind apart from one another. Without your names, you are no one. If I took away your own name, _Garth_, you would feel pretty useless, now wouldn't you? So riddle me this: What is a phrase that divides the living from non, and the meek from the brave?"

"A copy-cat, that's what." A Birdarang shot at the demon in Speedy's body, slicing one of his arrows in half.

"I've heard that one before." Robin said, smirking when his Birdarang returned to him.

"…but that doesn't make any sense!" Beast Boy shouted, leaping into the form of a wolf to tackle the villain.

"Please, a riddle is a type of dance?" Starfire asked before whipping starbolts around where Beast Boy was wrestling.

"I'm not even going to answer that." Raven mumbled, lifting a street light and hurling it at the demon.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Speedy was tired of watching. He could feel every beat of his heart, every rush of blood streaming through his body. He'd never felt it before, but then again, he'd never looked for it. He could still see his friends beating his own body, and he could faintly feel every blow. He wanted it all to stop. He just wanted to freeze time, curl up in a ball, and sleep forever.


	10. Chapter 10: End

Dear friends, it truly saddens me to end this story. But you see, every great story must be brought to an end.

Don't fear, I'll write new stories. It'll be hard to stop, trust me.

Enjoi!

* * *

It was like watching a movie, he thought. Like being strapped down and forced to watch a horror film on a life-size screen that you just can't un-see. He felt like punching a wall or biting a pillow as hard as he could, but Speedy couldn't control his body no matter how hard he wanted to.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Not long after the fight had started, the giant red funnel cloud had grown bigger. The middle wasn't so much a spiral anymore, but a huge hole bursting with flames.

"What is THAT?!" Beast Boy screamed, jumping out of the way of a falling pillar from a building.

"Calortunnel," Raven said, picking the pillar back up and placing it back on the building. "It's a portal from the underworld!"

"Ah, yes, I'm so very glad you noticed. It's a portal for my minions! They live under the burning lava of the underworld, only able to communicate through Roy Harper's body. He is the only messenger I have chosen on this earth." The demon replied, grinning madly.

"But I thought Messengers were only databases!" Aqualad said, pulling water from the underground pipes to try and douse the flames.

"Dear boy, you thought wrong." It whispered, pulling another arrow from Speedy's quiver. The tip of it formed the shape of another boxing glove. The Master pulled back the string, and let it fly.

It smacked Aqualad in the face, knocking him down. The demon laughed and aimed another arrow at his forehead. It let go, sending the arrow flying towards Aqualad. Suddenly, Raven appeared in front of him, the arrow piercing her shoulder. She shouted, but didn't give up. She staggered to her feet and growled at the demon.

"I thought I made this CLEAR! DO NOT HARM HIM!" She yelled, her eyes glowing white. Her hands clenched and blazed black. Just as she was about to lift him up and throw him as far as she could another arrow shot at her and dig into her chest. She fell to the ground with a cry.

"No!" Aqualad yelled, rushing to her aid.

He held her in his arms, though she was limp and weak.

"Garth…" She whispered, reaching up to touch his face.

"Raven…" He said, closing his eyes. He kissed her lightly on the cheek and she gave him a weak hug. He closed his eyes and felt a sudden wave of fury come over him.

"STARFIRE!" He yelled, and she flew to his side.

"Take Raven to the tower. I have ass to whoop." He glared at the demon. Starfire nodded and took Raven from his arms. He watched her fly away in the direction of the tower before turning back to the Demon. It was watching him, but it had no arrow aimed at him. In fact, its bow was limply in its hand.

"You are truly a heartless cold-blooded monster, and I'm not surprised you came from the depths of Hell itself." Aqualad said in a low voice, his anger taking over.

"You torment my best friend and your minions use his body like a puppet. You insulted me, Atlantis, and my friends…"

"Now when you put it that way-" The demon began.

"You possessed his body and use it against us. You hurt my own _girlfriend_ with the weapons of our friend…"

"Now child, control your anger-"

"LET ME FINISH!" Aqualad shouted, his fists clenching harshly.

The demon took a step back, bewildered by Aqualad's anger.

"You have taken my friend's body, my happiness, and the lives of citizens. The only good thing that will come out of this…" Aqualad raised his hands and stuck them out in front of him. A faint rumbling noise came from behind him.

"…Is your downfall." He flicked his hands up, and an enormous wave of sea water crashed all around.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Speedy saw and felt Aqualad's fury. He wanted to break free, and he was going to. He had a plan. The wave crept closer, and Speedy braced himself. He was leaving the darkness; he was going to feel again.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

The demon jumped in the air, expecting to fly, but realized he had possessed a human. He cursed at himself as the waves crashed and washed around its body. It whispered 'no' when it fell to the ground and started feeling less in control.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

He was waiting for just the right moment, when the demon's spirit was vulnerable. He saw his own body hit the ground, and his heart skipped a beat when all the pain rushed to his joints. He leaped, his heart racing wildly, and gasped as he felt the sting of salt water in his wounds.

Speedy groaned at the feeling of blood trickling down all over his body; his arms, his legs, his face even. His bones ached and his muscles burned. He ran an extremely shaky hand through his blood-stained hair. He wanted to forget about all his troubles and go home, but there was one last thing he had to do.

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

"SPEEDY!" Aqualad yelled at the body on the ground. He ran over and slid on the gravel to his friend's side. He gave him a giant hug, and Speedy limply hugged him back.

"We missed you…" Aqualad said to the air behind Speedy's back. Speedy only nodded; the pain was so overwhelming.

Aqualad helped Speedy to his feet, swaying a bit himself in the breeze.

Speedy lifted his bow from the ground and reached back in the very bottom of his quiver. With a shaky aim, he pointed the arrow at the spiraling heat cloud.

"Speedy...what are you doing?"

"Putting an end to this." He replied in a hoarse voice. He pulled back the string and watched as his arrow flew into the sky. It hit the heat, and an explosion erupted. Light surrounded them all and the chilling breeze sent shivers down his spine.

"Come on, let's go…" Speedy said, limping towards the tower.

"What…what did you do!?" Aqualad shouted, gazing up in awe at the bright blue sky.

"I sent that demon back to Hell from which he came. But I sealed it this time."

"…This time?" Aqualad asked.

"I'll explain at…the…t-tower…" Speedy collapsed, and the dark engulfed him.

_On a rather large hill in the middle of the plains sat a pile of scorched wood. The wind was heavy with the scent of smoke and decay. The sky was dark and doom-filled, while the grass lay dead in shades of gray and brown upon the ground. A single light, a tiny dot, appeared in the sky, and giant beams soon followed. When it faded, the sky was a shade of blue that reminded the villagers of a Robin's egg, with small white puffy clouds. The grass was greener than ever before. But what surprised every person the most, was a tall, old Windmill, will nothing so much as a scratch upon it surface._

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Speedy woke up with bandages. Lots and lots of bandages. His arms and legs were covered with them and his face had one or two patches taped to his skin. His left hand had some sort of IV in it and colorful stripes decorated his right arm. He looked closer and found they weren't stripes, but signatures.

_Sorry about your face. –BB _

_Didn't mean to bang you up so bad, but a bad guy's a bad guy, right? –Cyborg_

_Quit eating all the Doritos. It took two of us to carry you. –Dick_

There was also just a red heart signed by Starfire. His face fell when he didn't see anything from Aqualad or Raven. He looked to the side of his bed and smiled again, spotting two cards. He picked up the one in a blue envelope which he assumed was from Aqualad.

_Roy,_

_Raven wrote you a card so I did too. I forgot to tell you, but we're dating. :)_

_Anyway, I'm not sure what to write…so I'll draw instead. Look on the back, there's a fancy little doodle._

_Oh, and would you care to explain from earlier? We'd all love to hear._

_-Garth_

_P.S. You might want to take a shower._

Speedy laughed a little and flipped the page over. There was a colored picture of Aqualad and a dolphin, obviously aimed to make Speedy giggle. It worked.

He reached over and picked up Raven's letter. He opened it cautiously, for Raven still wasn't such a close friend.

_Speedy, I was surprised to hear that it was you who sealed the portal. Nice job._

_I just wanted to write a note because Garth wanted to, and I didn't want to just sign my name on a piece of hardened clay that would end up sliced in half anyway._

_Come talk to us after you read this. We'd like some answers._

_Your friend,_

_Raven_

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

Speedy walked into the living room where the other six titans were sitting solemnly.

Starfire shot up as soon as she saw him, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. He blushed and sat down.

"I know you all want answers, and I'm here to give them." He said. They all just looked at him. He cleared his throat.

"The demon…I know him. He was an old enemy when he was living. He called himself the Master. I was sick of all his bitching one day, so I shot this prototype arrow at him that I created…and it opened that portal."

"The Calortunnel." Raven said.

"Right. So I practically sent him to hell, but I didn't seal the portal. So, now, ten years later, he came for revenge. He targeted me because I was the one who sent him away…"

"But he looked only about 18." Aqualad said.

"I know. He was that age when I banished him, therefore he didn't age." Speedy replied.

It was silent for a while.

"We're glad you handled it on your own, pretty much." Robin said, patting Speedy shoulder. He muttered thanks.

"You were out for a few days…" Beast Boy said. "We were scared."

"Did you have any…dark dreams?" Starfire asked, apparently forgetting the right word.

Speedy thought.

"No."

~~~~~/^*^\~~~~~

"Ah…home sweet home, eh fishy?" Speedy asked, flopping on the couch at the Titans East T-Tower. Aqualad laughed.

"It's great to be back."

"SPEEDY! AQUALAD!" Bee yelled, running towards them. She pulled Aqualad into a big hug, then slapped him when she let go. "How dare you two leave without saying good bye!"

"Back to normal all right." Aqualad looked at Speedy. Speedy winked at him.

_Normal,_ he thought.

_Everything's going to be normal again._

-Fin-


End file.
